Mondo Cozmo (Josh Ostrander) joins me for an in-depth conversation about how his efficient way of songwriting has defined his successful career.
A quick read through Mondo’s extensive bio will inform you that his music has all the makings of the soundtrack to the current era and beyond. His 2017 full-length debut, Plastic Soul, boasted the #1 single “Shine.” In addition to performing everywhere from Lollapalooza to Bonnaroo and garnering acclaim from Entertainment Weekly, Consequence of Sound, and more, he made his television debut on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, toured alongside Bastille and Spoon, and opened for Muse. Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons joined him for a live duet on The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony,” while Anna Faris starred in the video for “Hold On To Me” and Paz de La Huerta starred in the video “Higher.” GRAMMYs On The Hill invited him to speak in support of the Music Modernization Act during 2018. Even though Josh admits, “I’m not sure I graduated high school,” he got to ride the underground trolley to the senate that JFK used.
“I feel like I’m the dude you want to introduce to your family, but he might be on acid and will still hug you”
– Mondo Cozmo
I was absolutely inspired by Mondo Cozmo’s free-flowing but efficient work ethic. In the interview, he walked me through his simple songwriting process and how he goes about choosing ideas. Just like many legendary songwriters before him, he knows how to single out great ideas. If something isn’t flowing right away, Mondo quickly moves onto a new idea until it sticks.
This is an important lesson for every kind of creative person out there. Even though there are many ways of creating, it’s very common to get stuck or obsessed over an idea. Mondo Cozmo has found that his secret to writing the perfect song is to let ideas flow freely. If the they aren’t working, then maybe they’re meant for another song down the road.
I hope this conversation inspires you to be yourself and to create music that you stand by. While his method is very free-flowing, it’s clear that it complements his personality incredibly well. He isn’t trying to be like any other songwriter, he’s just simply being himself. That honesty is what helps connect thousands of people around the world to his music.
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